Brandy’s Daughter Sy’Rai Smith Details Mom’s Behavior on Set of Their Movie (Exclusive)

Brandy Norwood is one protective mom!

Sy’Rai Smith, the daughter of Brandy and Robert “Big Bert” Smith, tells PEOPLE at the “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” holiday event in New York City about her mom’s protective behavior on set when they were filming their upcoming Lifetime movie, Christmas Everyday. 

In the flick, which is part of Lifetime’s “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” programming, Brandy plays fashion designer Francine “Fancy” Ballantine, and her daughter plays Fancy’s bridezilla sister. 

“It was cute because she would be fixing my hair and saying, ‘Do you need this or do you need that?’ That’s my mama,” Smith, 23, says. “It was crazy that she was my sister in the movie.”

The burgeoning actress shares that she “slipped up” a few times during filming because of the relationship between their characters. “I was slipping up. I was like, ‘Thank you, mom,’ instead of, ‘Thank you, sis,’ ” she admits. 

Smith says her mom “was right there with me” every step of the way, and even gave her some key acting advice. “She just said, ‘You know what? Relax. Give your personality.’ I was rushing a lot of the time, especially with my first scene. I was just rushing. I was trying to get over it,” she says. 

But her supportive mom told her, “Relax and be you, and everybody will fall in love with you.”

“She was right there,” Smith emphasizes. “It was easier. The role was easier because she was right there with me.”

Brandy, 46, is well known for her work in the studio and on screen. She released her self-titled album in 1994 and later won a Grammy for her 1998 duet “The Boy Is Mine” with Monica. 

The star played the title character in the sitcom Moesha for six seasons from 1996 to 2001. In 1997, she lent her talents to the television movie musical Cinderella, opposite Whitney Houston. Her additional credits include I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, The Perfect Match and Descendants: The Rise of Red. 

With Smith also being a singer, the mother-daughter duo have previously collaborated on several songs, including “Nothing Without You” from the Cheaper by the Dozen soundtrack, “My Family” from the compilation album A Family Business, and “High Heels” and “Christmas Gift” from two of Brandy’s albums.

Smith teased her upcoming debut album in an interview with PEOPLE, revealing that her mom is featured on it and is a vocal producer. 

She said that her mom is “really involved” with her album and “got really, really brilliant people to work with me.”

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Brandy showered her daughter with love in an Instagram post in March, celebrating the young woman’s college graduation. “I’m so proud of you my girl!! Your journey has been amazing to watch,” the mom wrote in the caption. “Your dedication and perseverance are forever inspiring. You did it!! I love you so much and all I ask is for you to keep shining and dreaming as big as you can.”

Smith commented on the sweet tribute: “I love you mama so much thank you for blessing me everyday and getting me through this school year.”

Christmas Everyday premieres Saturday, Nov. 29, at 8/7c on Lifetime.